Should You Go for Depth or Breadth With Your Recruiting Visit Strategy?

Most coaches and their programs go for 'breadth' - lots of data, information and details. But is there a smarter way to win recruits while they're on campus?...

Hello from an airport in Florida, where I am at the airport waiting on a flight to Iowa, following a great day with one of our clients where we were on campus to work with their student-athletes and coaches in redesigning their on-campus recruiting visit experience.

One of the things that got discussed was the idea of whether a program should aim for more information seen and heard by recruits on a visit, or if they should try to give less information but go deeper, and more in-depth with the experience that they do let a prospect be a part of. Usually, when we go to campus and conduct one of these one day design sessions, the first and second year athletes who are part of our focus group talk about what they’re actually on campus for during the recruiting process:

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1. Spend time with the younger athletes you have on your team.

2. One-on-one conversations with their potential new college coach.

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Not information about classes, not more time with admissions personnel (no offense to them, of course)…they’re trying to uncover why they should be serious about you based on relationships: With you, and their future teammates.

(P.S., Coach: If you want to talk about having us do that with you and your program, just email me at dan@dantudor.com)

(One more quick note - do you want more info on campus visits? Take a few minutes and listen to this):

O.K., so with all that said, back to the main question:

Should you aim for breadth? Or depth? More, or less, when they’re on campus? And, what’s the best strategy to win when a recruit steps on campus?